Felt base floor covering and process of making the same



July 16, 1940. CAMPBELL 2,207,851

NG AND PRocEs OF MAKING THE SAME FELT BASE FLOOR COVERI Filed June 11, 1938 Patented July 16, 1940 FELT BASE FLOOR COVERING AND PROCESS OF MAKING THE SAME Neil L. Campbell, Salem, N. J., assignor to Mannington Mills, Incorporated, Salem, N. .L, a corporation of-New Jersey Application June 11, 1938, Serial No. 213,287-

Claims.

This'invention relates to the manufacture of hard surface floor coverings such, for example, as those known in the art as felt base floor coverings, as distinguishing from linoleum, etc. 5 Felt base floor coverings consist of a sheet or strip of prepared felt which is commonly composed primarily of cotton or wool fibres or a combination of cotton, wool, and in some instances a small percentage of wood fibers matted together by a regular felting process and subsequently impregnated with asphalt and other ingredients rendering the felt substantially waterproof.

In some instances one face of the impregnated felt sheet is coated with a suitable paint, usually of a solid color, to form the underside of the finished floor covering. In other instances the underside of the sheet is coated with rubber or a rubber compound but which, in either case, does not enter into the present invention.

The second face of the felt base sheet which is to form the top, wear, or exposed surface in use is usually decorated with designs of various characters, including mottled designs, floral and/or foliage designs, blocks, tiles, etc.

The decoration ofthe top or wear surface is usually in the form of an aggregated coating of viscous pigments arranged in laterally adjacent abutting relation to each other and collectively depicting the design. The aggregating of the design elements is usually accomplished on what is known as a block' printing machine, i. e. the impregnated base sheet or strip is intermittently advanced in a horizontal plane beneath a series I of vertically reciprocable printing heads which are respectively provided on their under surfaces with wood cut blocksor flat faced pins or protuberances. Each head carries but one part of the design which is to be applied to the wear sur- 40 face of the impregnated felt. The number of blocks used in completing the design depends upon the number of different colors found in the completed design, as each block is arranged to deposit but one color in proper position on the prepared felt base sheet as the sheet is advanced step by step and brought to rest under the printing blocks successively.

During the period of rest a paint reservoir, provided with an applying roll, is traversed beneath each block, with the roller in contact with the wood cut or pin faces to apply a predetermined amount of the viscous pigment to the printing surface of the block, there being one reservoir for each block to apply the particular color required for the particular part of the design carried by the block.

After the reservoirrollers have applied their respective pigments to the printing surfaces of, the blocks, the blocks are lowered into printing contact with the surface of the prepared felt disposed beneath the blocks. The blocks are then raised and the felt advanced one step, to bring each partly completed design into registry with the next block to receive the portion of the design depicted by that particular block. The method so far described is common practice and has been in use since the advent of this type of floor covering about the year of 1915.

In my companion application, Serial No. 204,- 445, filed on April 26, 1938 (U. S. Letters Patent No. 2,123,646, dated July 12, 1938, Subsequently reissued as Re. 20,853, dated September 13, 1938) an improved method of producing felt base floor coverings is disclosed, the object of the invention in that case being to produce two identical finished strips of floor covering-from or by but a single printing of the complete design on but one of the two base strips, thereby doubling the capacity of the machine. The object is attained by printing the design on but one strip, in the manner above noted, with the coating thus aggregatively produced being of a predetermined thickness, and subsequently transferring a portion of the thickness of the coating, 30 including the complete design depicted thereby, in toto from the one printed strip to a second strip, for example, by superimposing the second strip upon the printed face of the first strip and subsequently separating the two strips, whereby the coating which has been applied to the first strip by the series of printing heads or blocks is split in a median plane between the 'two strips and dividedsubstantially equally between the two strips, thereby producing two identical finished products, 1. e. two products finished, at least insofaras the printing or formation of the design on the two strips is concerned, it being understood that, after the printing and drying of the aggregated design coating on the felt base floor covering, the printed strip may be given a finishing coat of transparent varnish, lacquer,or the equivalent to preserve the design surface against wear.

Under the original process herein described and 3 under the conditions of operation of the improved process disclosed in the aforementioned prior patents, the lines of the design have been of a rather sharp harsh nature. As disclosed insaid patents the second strip is advanced at ex- 1 actly the same speed through the machine as the original printed strip and great care is employed for maintaining a fixed relationship between the two strips during the transferring of the design from the originally printed strip onto the second printed strip, in order to maintain sharp lines of demarcation between adjacent portions of the design, which is characteristic of this type of floor covering.

The object of the present invention is to soften the otherwise harsh lines of demarcation between adjacent portions of the design, particularly in designs of a floral character or oriental designs or, in fact, any design other than tiles and the like which require harsh, clean-cut lines of demarcation.

The object of the present invention may be attained by employing the method and apparatus disclosed in said prior patents, with slight modifications, i. e. in place of retaining the two strips in absolutely fixed relation to each other during the transfer operation one of the strips is moved slightly with respect to the other strip while the two strips are in close contacting relation to each other. This causes portions of the print paint or pigments which lie adjacent the lines of demarcation between adjoining component parts of the design to be dragged or slurred slightly across said lines and for a slight distance across the exposed face of the print paint of the adjacent part of the design. This slurring of the pigments one into the other across the dividing lines softens the otherwise harsh sharply defined lines of demarcation between the design parts and produces, in eifect, an appearance of texture somewhat resembling that of a pile face woven rug.

The slight relative movement between the two strips which causes each paint deposit to be pulled or slurred over the exposed face of the adjacent deposit, across the otherwise sharp harsh lines of demarcation therebetween, is effected in but one direction, preferably in the direction of the length of the strip. This produces irregular fine fiber-like lines at the lines of demarcation between the design parts by which the softening effect is attained.

In carrying out the principles of the present invention it is preferable to use the rolling contact method of transfer disclosed in said prior patents and to create a speed differential in the travel of the two strips to produce -the relative longitudinal movement therebetween. The difference in the rate of travel of the two strips may be, for example, approximately one-sixteenth to one-eighth of an inch to each foot of travel of the two strips through the machine. If it is desired to accentuate or decrease the effect, a greater or lesser movement may be provided. However, it has been found that the figures given provide a very pleasing and desirable effect.

Other factors in producing the softening effect reside in the degree of pressure employed be-.

tween the two sheets during the rolling contact by which the transfer is effecting and the viscosity of the print paint employed.

Another result attained under the process forming the subject matter of the present invention is that in splitting the originally deposited coating so that one half remains on the originally printed strip and the other half adheres to and is carried off with and by the second strip, the suction between the particles of the pigments and all other ingredients of and collectively forming the coating produces very light indistinct and barely perceptible lines of highlights and shadows in the form of intertwining minute ridges and valleys,-indicated at 2 in Fig. 2, which is commonly referred to as grape-Vining. This effect accentuates the desirable characteristics of the rug made under the principles of the present invention over rugs made in accordance with the principles of the original block printing process. This grape-Vining" effect may be accurately controlled to accentuate or diminish the intensity thereof by increasing or decreasing the viscosity of the print paint or printing pigments. The greater the viscosity the more pronounced will be the grape-vine effect and vice versa. The viscosity of the print paint going into different component parts respectively of a design may be thus. controlled to increase the effect in one portion and decrease the effect in another portion of the design, i. e. in any two or more different places wherein the portions of the design and/or background represented thereby receive print paint from different supplies thereof.

The control of the viscosity or the control of the pressure exerted between the two sheets or a combination of the two may be utilized to obtain the effect desired.

For the purpose of illustrating the principles of the present invention the accompanying drawing has been prepared, in which Fig. 1 shows a design of the prior art having the harsh, sharp lines of demarcation between adjacent portions of the design and which is characteristic of felt base floor coverings as produced prior to the present invention. This condition also prevails during the operation of the present method up until the time the design originally printed on the one base sheet is transferred in toto onto the second base sheet.

Fig. 2 of the drawing illustrates the same design as Fig. 1, after the transfer, and shows the softening of the lines of demarcation between adjacent portions of the design and-the grapevine effect as a result of the floor covering being manufactured in accordance with the principles of the present invention.

In Fig. l of the drawing, a, b, c and d respectively represent differently colored pigments deposited in laterally abutting relation to each other on the felt base sheet to formv the component parts respectively of an aggregated design thereon, and wherein the lines of demarcation I, l are relatively sharp and harsh and cause the different parts of the design to stand out in bold contrast one to another.

Fig. 2 shows the same design as Fig. 1 with the same deposited pigments a, b, c and d thereof illustrated at al, bl, cl, and dl respectively. In this instance marginal edge portions of each deposit have been dragged or slurred over the exposed face of the adjacent deposit across the lines of demarcation between the component parts of the design, thereby producing Isoft lines of demarcation la between the deposits. As a result of this procedure fine hair lines lb are produced which give the appearance of cut ends of the fibres of pile threads of woven carpets.

The above effects may be produced by bringing a surface other than but corresponding to the surface of the second sheet into contact with the wet tacky viscous pigment deposits constituting the design of Fig. 1 and then effecting a slight relative movement between the two in the direction of the arrow X in Fig. 2, for example,

. causing all of the hair line ends lb to extend in ance of the lay of the nap of a pile face carpet. The effects may in this way be produced on single printed sheets or strips where no transfer of the design to another or second sheet is desired. However, in the present instance the surface which is brought into contact with the wet printed design to produce the line softening and grapevine effects preferably constitutes a second felt base strip or sheet to which the viscous pigments will adhere, in order to reap the full economical advantages gained by the method disclosed in the aforementioned prior patents.

When the second sheet is removed, after the relative movement between the two sheets has been effected, the design with the softened lines is transferred in toto onto the second sheet, providing two substantially exact duplicate finished products insofar as the printing of the design and the softening of the lines of demarcation therebetween are concerned. The designs on the two sheets or strips will, however, differ to a very slight degree in measurement in the direction in which the relative movement between the two sheets or strips is effected but this difference in any given part of the design is too slight to be perceptible- In the case of symmetrical designs the two sheets are substantially exact duplicates in all respects.

In the case of non-symmetrical designs the original print and the transfer therefrom are substantially the same but the elements or component parts of the design are in reverse positions with respect to each other, i. e. the component parts of the design lying to theright of a longitudinal center line drawn through the 1 center of the one strip or sheet will appear at the left side of a similar center line on the other of said strips or sheets, producing righ and "lefts ofthe same design.

In producing the effects of the present invention on single sheets without transferring the design onto a second sheet any suitable surface such as a roll faced with the felt base floor covering material or its equivalent may be substituted for the second sheet, or the material may be formed into an endless belt having a measurement corresponding to the length of each rug unit and placed around a pair of relatively spaced drums with the face of the belt in rolling contact with the printed face of the originally printed strip, in order to produce the same general effect as is obtained by bringing a second sheet into intimate contact with the printed face of the original sheet for transferring the design in toto onto the second sheet as set forth in the aforementioned prior patents.

I claim:

1. A felt base floor covering provided with a decorated face composed of laterally abutting single unicolored deposits of design forming pigments normally defined by sharp harsh lines of demarcation therebetween, characterized by the uncontaminated pigment of each deposit being slurred in one direction only over the exposed face of each adjacent deposit lying at one side thereof, said slurring extending across said line of demarcation between each adjacent pair of uncontaminated pigment deposits and softening said line.

2. A felt base floor covering provided with a decorated face composed of laterally abuttin single unicolored deposits of design forming pigments normally defined by sharp harsh lines of demarcation therebetween, characterized by the uncontaminated pigment of each deposit being irregularly slurred in one direction only over the exposed face of each adjacent deposit lying at one side thereof, said slurring extending across said line of demarcation between each adjacent pair of uncontaminated pigment deposits and softening said line.

3. A felt base floor covering provided with a decorated face composed of laterally abutting single unicolored deposits of design forming pigments normally defined by sharp harsh lines of demarcation therebetween, characterized by the uncontaminated pigment of each deposit being irregularly slurred in one direction only over the exposed face of each adjacent deposit lying at one side thereof, said slurring extending across coverings which consists in printing a design on one face of one prepared base sheet in the form of a viscous coating of predetermined thickness, bringing one surface of a second prepared base sheet into intimate contact with the exposed surface of the printed coating on the first said sheet, effecting slight relative movement between said sheets in the planes thereof to slur the lines of demarcation between adjacent portions of the design, and separating said sheets with substantially equally divided portions of the thickness of said coating adhering to said sheets respectively, whereby the design originally printed on the first sheet is transferred in toto onto the second sheet and two finished floor coverings with softened lines of demarcation between adjacent parts of the design are produced from a single printing of the design on but one of said base sheets.

5. The method of producing hardsurface floor coverings which consists in depositing on one face of one prepared base sheet a viscous coating of predetermined thickness, bringing one surface of a-second prepared base sheet into intimate contact with the exposed surface of the deposited coating on the first said sheet, pressing the second base sheet firmly against the exposed face of the deposited pigments to expel air from between the two sheets and the coating between said sheets, separating said sheets with substantially equally divided portions of the thickness of said coating adhering to said sheets respectively, and controlling the viscosity of said coating, whereby two finished fioor coverings are produced from a single application of said viscous coating on but one of said base sheets with a grape-vine effect running through said coating of each as a result of said controlled viscosity and the suction efi'ect produced within the coating by the separation of said sheets.

NEIL L. CAMPBELL.

said line of demarcation between each adjacent 

